China Largest Foreign Buyers of Land near Japan Security Areas

(The fifth paragraph should have read, “…were confirmed…,” instead of as sent. A substitute story follows.) China Largest Foreign Buyers of Land near Japan Security Areas Tokyo, Dec. 16 (Jiji Press)–Chinese individuals and entities accounted for the largest share of non-Japanese buyers of land and structures near areas that are important in light of Japan’s national security in fiscal 2024, a government survey report showed Tuesday. There were a total of 113,827 transactions of land and structures located near important security sites–69,677 for land and 44,150 for structures–in the year that ended in March 2025. Of the total, foreign individuals and entities made up 3,498, or 3.1 pct. By country and region, purchases by individuals and entities from China, including Hong Kong, accounted for 1,674, or 47.5 pct, of the total acquisitions by foreigners, followed by Taiwan, for 11.7 pct, South Korea, for 10.7 pct, and the United States, for 6.0 pct. No disruptive activities targeting the important security sites from the acquired properties, such as radio jamming, were confirmed, according to the report. The law on the review and regulation on the use of real estate around important facilities designates areas within 1 kilometer of facilities such as Self-Defense Forces bases and nuclear power plants as well as remote territorial islands as “monitored areas” or “special monitored areas.” The latest survey covered 583 monitored and special monitored areas designated by fiscal 2024. As designations in urban areas increased, the total number of transactions of land and structures near areas with security importance in the year shot up from 16,862 in fiscal 2023. Transactions by foreign individuals and entities took place in 37 of Japan’s 47 prefectures in fiscal 2024. Tokyo saw the largest number, at 1,558, including 553 around the Ground SDF’s Medical Service School, the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency’s Naval Systems Research Center and the New Sanno U.S. Forces Center, and 309 around the Defense Ministry building in Shinjuku Ward. Many of the transactions were for houses and apartments. It was the second time that the results of the government survey on transactions of land and structures near important security sites have been announced, following the first release last year. In the previous survey, which covered 399 monitored and special monitored areas, purchases by foreign individuals and entities accounted for 2.2 pct of the total cases. As the fiscal 2023 survey did not cover areas in major cities, however, “it is difficult to make simple comparisons” between the results of the previous and latest surveys, an official at the Cabinet Office said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]